You apparently have an excellent checker library. Are you concerned about where it will go when you are gone?

I have a nice checker library with no interested party to leave it to (not now, later!) My local public library and heirs are not interested. My neighbor Les Balderson predeceased me.

When Ernie Churchill expressed such a concern to Herb Richter, Herb told Ernie to burn them!

That may be the easiest solution.

Bill Salot

Greetings Bill, I will confess to you, as I have here on the forum boards before, my library tripled after I acquired what I could of Earl Hangen's library....Between what the auctioneer left behind, and what I purchased at the sale itself, I probably got 65% of Earl's Library.

I know this because I know what all he had....Some of it got trashed into a big dumpster before I got to his house (this while the auctioneer was preparing his home for public sale), and some got past me at the auction, because, even though I spent every penny I had available to me, it was not enough to purchase it all. There were several antique dealers there that purchased some books strictly for re-sale. Indeed, I did see some for sale on Ebay weeks after the sale, and I purchased them at that time.( That being stated, a good portion of Earl's Library once belonged to the late Paul Ottey, who would mark all of his books, this being the inspiration for the creation of this thread)

I am still rather young (42 years old) and in good health, I plan on being around for awhile. As a very young man, it was always a dream of mine to put together a decent Checker Library, and that is what I have set about to doing.....

With that in mind, if you are interested in selling any of your library, let me know.I am sure you have something I would be interested in. And, I would be thrilled to know that I had something from the Library of the Great Bill Salot !!!

I was not aware of you and Les being neighbors.........As ACF Mail Play Director, Earl was in constant communication with Les when he was ACF President. (And even after) I did not know Les, or ever communicate with him. But, I certainly know of him, and his role in Checkers history.... RIP Les !!

I had read in the news pages of CC (which, although only 2 pages long, was replete in it's profundity ) of Herb's suggestion to Ernie to "Burn" his checkers books, manuscripts, etc. ( I believe Ernie's wife was in full support of this idea... )

"That may be the easiest solution"I hope you are not serious.....

But, yes, I believe that every responsible Checkerist should have plans for his or her library. Either sell it , donate it, or whatever while they are healthy and can, or leave specific directions for what should be done with it in case they become incapacitated, or pass on. There just are not a whole lot of these books out there,( or at least accessible) and we must preserve what we can for future generation Checkerists.......( just in case there is such a thing )

Greetings All, I have not posted anything here in awhile, but.... Here is an interesting find....I purchased this copy of International Draughts and Checkers a few years ago on Ebay......

An Excellent copy......I purchased it with a Buy It Now price of $3.00 plus $2.95 shipping = $5.95 for this book !!! An absolute steal !!It was being sold by an Ebayer from Washington State who purchased it at a local "Book Bonanza".....I noticed that it was a former library book by the stamping"Everett Public Library" on the page edges. Anyway, I have been perusing the book recently, and noticed for the first time that the library card itself is still within the card pouch....see image below.

The thing that astounds me is that there is NO RECORD on the card of this book EVER being taken out of the library !!!This book probably sat in the Everett Public Library for well over Forty years, and was never out !!! I guess that is why the pages in the book itself are in almost pristine condition....bone white, supple...like new !! A boring, but astonishing history of this book !!lol !!As always,

Comments and contributions to this thread are welcomed, encouraged and appreciated !!!!! Regards

Ken Gloss has had a very good inventory of checkers books over the years. I drop in from time to time and there's a fair amount of turnover in the inventory. I don't know what he pays. His prices are not unreasonable.

whitefork wrote:Ken Gloss has had a very good inventory of checkers books over the years. I drop in from time to time and there's a fair amount of turnover in the inventory. I don't know what he pays. His prices are not unreasonable.